Gatorland: Next generation of Bonecrusher crocodiles has hatched
Gatorland’s new batch of American crocodile hatchlings has a historic connection to the attraction. They are direct descendants of Bonecrusher, the 15-foot reptile that helped put Gatorland on the map. Their parents are Bonecrusher II and Pretty Croc.
Two weekends ago, eggs were removed from a nest inside the exhibit of Bonecrusher II. The attraction’s animal-care team placed them in incubators and waited for the baby crocs to poke their ways out. On Father’s Day, several were seen being born live on Gatorland’s social media platforms as Danielle Lucas, leader of animal care, and Savannah Boan, crocodilian enrichment coordinator, watched and narrated.
“Look at Crusher Jr.,” Lucas said during one croc’s break-out moment.
“We could call him C.J.!” Boan said.
Bonecrusher II, the new daddy, was born at Gatorland in the late 1960s, but this is his first group of hatchlings, Gatorland says.
At birth, the crocodiles are 7 to 8 inches long, Gatorland says. They will be fully grown at about 10 to 12 years old, weighing an average of 880 pounds and measuring up to 14 feet long.
“American crocodiles are some of the largest in the word,” Boan said during the livestream.
In the hatching video posted on YouTube, the young crocs are squeakily grunting as they break out of their shells. They frequently come out with mouths wide open, a defensive move, ready to take on a world of predators.
The descendants of Bonecrusher will have a reputation to live up to. Gatorland founder Owen Godwin billed the big guy as the world’s largest-known crocodile and offered a $1,000 reward for anyone who could prove him wrong.
No one did.
“The original Bonecrusher was such an iconic symbol of the early years at Gatorland, and the continuation of his lineage is symbolic of the generational growth of our family park,” Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland, said in a news release. Gatorland opened in 1949.
The hatchlings do not return to their mothers at Gatorland but are cared for the team. Other animals in the area — including birds, lizards, fish and racoons — are among the possible predators.
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“We’re essentially their moms,” Lucas said in the video. “They stay in our care to ensure their safety.”
Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.